Judi Dench sidelined from London play with sprained ankle

Dame Judi Dench will have to pull out of her London play "Madame de Sade" after injuring herself.

The "Quantum of Solace" actress had tripped at the stage door and fell Thursday night (March 19) outside of the West End theater after her performance, reports Playbill.

"She was taken to A&E [a hospital Accident and Emergency Room] where she was diagnosed with a severely sprained ankle," a spokesperson for Donmar Warehouse, producers of the play. "Doctors have advised that she bring no weight to bear on her foot for the time being.

"As a consequence, Judi's role of Madame de Montreuil will be performed this weekend by her understudy Marjorie Hayward. The Donmar and Judi apologise for any upset or inconvenience this may cause, and wish to reassure those with tickets that it is her intention to return to the role next week."

According to The Sun, onlookers were stunned when they watched Dench, 74, leave the theater and then suddenly fall to the ground, crying out in pain. Some of the theater fans even feared that she had suffered a stroke and even called an ambulance, which she refused and had her aides take her to the emergency room instead.

Dench has been playing the Marquis de Sade's mother in "Madame de Sade" at the Wyndham theater.

On the silver screen, Dench played the character M in the latest James Bond release, "Quantum of Solace" and won a supporting actress Oscar for her brief appearance as Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love."